BadgeStack: A Badge Empowered Learning System

What is BadgeStack?

I recently had a demo of the brand new BadgeStack product. BadgeStack is a social learning tool that encourages people to master new skills and get involved in your community. Plus it’s fun.

The BadgeStack system is an ideal vehicle for building learning experiences around existing open educational resources (OER) and for recognizing the informal and social learning that happens in and out of institutional settings. And the system itself is open source. It is built on WordPress, the same system as the one my blog is built on.

How can you Use BadgeStack?

Every BadgeStack implementation can be custom-designed to fit your learning objectives, target community, visual identity – and just the right mix of social and self-directed rewards. Badges can be earned through unique combinations of achievements and social contributions, and participants may evolve into leaders.

BadgeStack badges seamlessly appear in the new Mozilla Open Badge Backpack and BadgeStack readily connects to your current LMS through certified IMS Global Learning Consortium BLTI conformance. I’m especially interested in how it interfaces with an LMS!

Learners can easily share Badges they earn on social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, or simply show them off on their own blog or resume. A range of reports help instructors, content experts and online community managers track participant progress and growth. Make Quests from existing programs, websites, and open educational resources (OER) to create fresh educational experiences that reward independent and peer-based learning.

Who is BadgeStack for?

BadgeStack isn’t an open community like FaceBook. It is meant to be implemented by organizations: high school students to museum professionals to teachers to lifelong learners: anyone can learn and earn rewards.

Who was BadgeStack developed by?

Designed by educators, trainers, and gamers, BadgeStack is a new way of thinking about learning. BadgeStack empowers and encourages learners to master real-world skills and knowledge while engaging with peers and experts in a social give-and-take that builds community.

What is the interface like?

How does it work?

Step 1

You and the BadgeStack team review your learning goals or existing materials and

Design a meaningful program and stunning badge identity for your organization.

You and/or BadgeStack develops the badges and experiences.

Step 2

Create progressive and instructionally-sound learning activities.

Identify appropriate assessments for each badge-based skill and reward.

Launch your badge-based learning program on the BadgeStack platform and you are ready to go!

Who’s already using BadgeStack?

The New York City Department of Education

Smithsonian Institution Learning Quests

American Association for State and Local History

Is it free?

BadgeStack offers a variety of pricing options for building badge-based learning programs. For some, a self-serve model is preferred. For others, a custom model is preferred and they provide detailed estimates based on project scope that can include elements such as instructional design, rich media development, production, project management, and platform licensing.

Learn More:

I loved this product so much that requested a demo to show the product off to my colleagues. We’ve been looking for an option to credit informal learning in the internal community and I think this is a great solution.

Love the badge concept just as much as I do or are you still wondering how it can be implemented? Let me know what you think about these new badges!